Journal of Clinical Exercise PhysiologyThe official journal of the Clinical Exercise Physiology Association

Volume 1, Number 1 | February 2012

An Evidence-Based Review of Exercise and Metabolic Syndrome

James Churilla, PhD, MPH, RCEP

Journal of Clinical Exercise Physiology. 2012;1:21-29.

INTRODUCTION

The clustering of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors and their impact on metabolic health is far from novel. In the early 20th century, a Swedish physician named Kylin (66) reported elevated blood pressure, elevated blood sugar, and elevated uric acid levels (known today as hyperuricemia or gout) occurring simultaneously in patients and referred to this as a syndrome. A little more than a decade later, Himsworth (50) demonstrated insulin sensitivity and insulin insensitivity in those with diabetes, suggesting that insulin resistance may play a role in the development of many human diseases, particularly coronary artery disease and hypertension (HTN). Adiposity was not considered a part of the syndrome until Vague (96) reported on the relationship between upper body obesity and diabetes, with Avogaro (6) later strengthening this relationship between central adiposity and CVD risk factor clustering. ...